Fibulin-1 is required for morphogenesis of neural crest-derived structures

Here we report that mouse embryos homozygous for a gene trap insertion in the fibulin-1 (Fbln1) gene are deficient in Fbln1 and exhibit cardiac ventricular wall thinning and ventricular septal defects with double outlet right ventricle or overriding aorta. Fbln1 nulls also display anomalies of aortic arch arteries, hypoplasia of the thymus and thyroid, underdeveloped skull bones, malformations of cranial nerves and hemorrhagic blood vessels in the head and neck. The spectrum of malformations is consistent with Fbln1 influencing neural crest cell (NCC)-dependent development of these tissues. This is supported by evidence that Fbln1 expression is associated with streams of cranial NCCs migrating adjacent to rhombomeres 2-7 and that Fbln1-deficient embryos display patterning anomalies of NCCs forming cranial nerves IX and X, which derive from rhombomeres 6 and 7. Additionally, Fbln1-deficient embryos show increased apoptosis in areas populated by NCCs derived from rhombomeres 4, 6 and 7. Based on these findings, it is concluded that Fbln1 is required for the directed migration and survival of cranial NCCs contributing to the development of pharyngeal glands, craniofacial skeleton, cranial nerves, aortic arch arteries, cardiac outflow tract and cephalic blood vessels.     

Integrating sign surveys and telemetry data for estimating brown bear (Ursus arctos) density in the Romanian Carpathians

Accurate population size estimates are important information for sustainable wildlife management. The Romanian Carpathians harbor the largest brown bear (Ursus arctos) population in Europe, yet current management relies on estimates of density that lack statistical oversight and ignore uncertainty deriving from track surveys. In this study, we investigate an alternative approach to estimate brown bear density using sign surveys along transects within a novel integration of occupancy models and home range methods. We performed repeated surveys along 2‐km segments of forest roads during three distinct seasons: spring 2011, fall‐winter 2011, and spring 2012, within three game management units and a Natura 2000 site. We estimated bears abundances along transects using the number of unique tracks observed per survey occasion via N‐mixture hierarchical models, which account for imperfect detection. To obtain brown bear densities, we combined these abundances with the effective sampling area of the transects, that is, estimated as a function of the median (± bootstrapped SE) of the core home range (5.58 ± 1.08 km²) based on telemetry data from 17 bears tracked for 1‐month periods overlapping our surveys windows. Our analyses yielded average brown bear densities (and 95% confidence intervals) for the three seasons of: 11.5 (7.8–15.3), 11.3 (7.4–15.2), and 12.4 (8.6–16.3) individuals/100 km². Across game management units, mean densities ranged between 7.5 and 14.8 individuals/100 km². Our method incorporates multiple sources of uncertainty (e.g., effective sampling area, imperfect detection) to estimate brown bear density, but the inference fundamentally relies on unmarked individuals only. While useful as a temporary approach to monitor brown bears, we urge implementing DNA capture–recapture methods regionally to inform brown bear management and recommend increasing resources for GPS collars to improve estimates of effective sampling area.     

Biogeographical affinities among Neotropical cloud forests

 Biogeographical affinities among cloud forests in the Neotropical region were studied through a track approach, by constructing generalised tracks based on the results of a parsimony analysis of endemicity (PAE). Distributional data on 946 genera and 1,266 species of vascular plants (Pteridophyta, angiosperms, and gymnosperms) from 26 cloud forest patches from Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico, Peru, Puerto Rico, and Venezuela were analysed; and four localities from eastern and western United States were also included as outgroups. The track analysis identified six generalised tracks: a first one that includes the majority of the cloud forests of Mexico, Central America, the Antilles, and northern Colombia; a second one that includes southern Mexico and northern Central America; a third one that includes the mountains in northwestern South America; a fourth one that includes the mountains in southwestern South America; and two others in western and eastern United States. It is concluded that the Neotropical cloud forests are closely related and that those of the Caribbean subregion exhibit complex relationships, which could be due to the complex tectonic history of the area. Received February 22, 2001 Accepted May 1, 2001     

不同饥饿程度的拟小食螨瓢虫成虫摄食朱砂叶螨前后的运动格局变化

【目的】对比分析饥饿和未饥饿的拟小食螨瓢虫Stethorus parapauperculus成虫取食朱砂叶螨Tetranychus cinnabarinus前后的运动格局变化,为探明其搜索行为的生态学机制提供参考。【方法】基于Nakamuta装置原理,跟踪并绘制拟小食螨瓢虫成虫取食前后的运动轨迹,采用ArcGIS空间分析模块对运动轨迹进行处理,获取其统计参数,对比分析该瓢虫在两种状态下取食前后的搜索距离、搜索速度、搜索角度变化等特征,并阐述其搜索行为特性。【结果】饥饿24 h和未饥饿瓢虫取食单头朱砂叶螨所需时间分别为(5.99±0.91)min和(2.25±0.58)min。饥饿24 h的瓢虫在取食前多呈直线或锐角行走,运动轨迹主要分布于试验区域近边缘处,且各停点间曲线距离、搜索速度均大于取食后;取食后掉头次数频繁,活动角度转换增大,运动轨迹主要在猎物附近区域进行搜索,且在取食后60~75 s的搜索距离、搜索速度与取食前均存在显著差异。未饥饿状态瓢虫取食前后运动轨迹角度波动较大,无明显规律,且各停点间的曲线长度、搜索速度经t检验无显著差异。【结论】拟小食螨瓢虫成虫对猎物的搜索行为受其饥饿状态的影响。饥饿状态下,取食前为广域型搜索,取食后一段时间内为地域集中型搜索;未饥饿状态下的瓢虫取食前后的搜索行为则无明显规律,其搜索类型兼有广域和地域集中型搜索特征,具有一定随机性。     

2009年我国小菜蛾迁飞路径典型案例分析

小菜蛾Plutella xylostella Linnaeus是一种世界性的十字花科蔬菜重要害虫,具有远距离迁飞的特性,明确小菜蛾在我国的种群发生动态及迁飞路径对其早期预警具有重要意义.本文调查了2009年5月我国南京、故城、安阳、大连、公主岭、沈阳6个地区小菜蛾成虫种群的发生动态,并首次利用HYSPLIT平台对不同地区小菜蛾种群的迁飞峰次进行了轨迹分析.结果表明,2009年5月我国6个地区的小菜蛾成虫种群存在显著地“突增”或“突减”现象,符合迁飞昆虫在迁飞期的种群动态的典型特征;5月14日南京地区起飞的小菜蛾种群可迁飞至大连,5月19日故城地区起飞的小菜蛾种群可迁飞至公主岭,5月20日安阳地区起飞的小菜蛾种群可迁飞至沈阳;首次明确了小菜蛾轨迹分析的设定参数,800-1200 m为小菜蛾适宜迁飞的飞行高度,飞行持续时间一般为2-3d.     

Secondary heart field contributes myocardium and smooth muscle to the arterial pole of the developing heart

The arterial pole of the heart is the region where the ventricular myocardium continues as the vascular smooth muscle tunics of the aorta and pulmonary trunk. It has been shown that the arterial pole myocardium derives from the secondary heart field and the smooth muscle tunic of the aorta and pulmonary trunk derives from neural crest. However, this neural crest-derived smooth muscle does not extend to the arterial pole myocardium leaving a region at the base of the aorta and pulmonary trunk that is invested by vascular smooth muscle of unknown origin. Using tissue marking and vascular smooth muscle markers, we show that the secondary heart field, in addition to providing myocardium to the cardiac outflow tract, also generates prospective smooth muscle that forms the proximal walls of the aorta and pulmonary trunk. As a result, there are two seams in the arterial pole: first, the myocardial junction with secondary heart field-derived smooth muscle; second, the secondary heart field-derived smooth muscle with the neural crest-derived smooth muscle. Both of these seams are points where aortic dissection frequently occurs in Marfan's and other syndromes.     

最小生成树MST的系统学和生物地理学意义

概述了最小生成树和泛生物地理学中的轨迹分析的概念。采纳Ｐａｇｅ关于轨迹等同于最小生成树的观点。在此基础上分析和阐述了最小生成树四个方面的系统学和生物地理学意义：１作为分类群或分布区一种相似性关系的直观表达;２作为有别于系统聚类的一种数值分类途径;３其网络结构有效地表在字有机体的种系发生关系;４轨迹等同于最小生成,因而是定量生物地理学研究有的效手段。作为一个应用,试构建我国１０个主要山体间种子植物区     

The importance of bryophytes in the classification of human-disturbed high arctic vegetation

Abstract. Evidence is presented from a variety of tundra cover types under human disturbance at three sites in the Canadian High Arctic to indicate that higher plants may be insufficient to differentiate among the apparently distinct geobotanical signatures of discrete surface disturbances. Unlike in the Low Arctic, woody growth forms are often minimal or lacking on heavily disturbed ground and several prominent species of ruderal herbs and especially graminoids occur on a wide variety of substrates. Therefore, cryptogams, particularly bryophytes, are important indicator taxa. Presence-absence data on bryophytes from minerotrophic and oligotrophic soils, combined with vascular cover-abundance data, enhanced detection of patch-level floristic gradients within and among disjunct coastal lowlands. However, the pool of ruderal bryophytes is limited, and ultimately factors such as frequency and abundance should be considered.